WWF-Canada Congratulates NEB for Review of Arctic Oil Drilling

WWF

“We were about to ask for this process and were gladly pre-empted,” said Craig Stewart, Director of WWF-Canada’s Arctic program. “We commend the NEB for taking this proactive step and look forward to working collaboratively to strengthen measures needed to protect the communities and wildlife of the Arctic.”

Yesterday’s announcement by the NEB, Canada’s energy regulator, indicates a tougher stance toward oil companies which have been lobbying for relaxed safety requirements, particularly the use of same-season relief wells which companies, including British Petroleum (BP) and Imperial Oil, maintain are costly and impractical in Arctic conditions. The Board cancelled the process examining the use of relief wells in favour of a broader review.

The NEB didn’t provide details of the new process but said it will be “public and consultative” in nature and other regulators would be asked to participate.

Board chairman Gaéten Caron said it would be guided by analysis of what caused the Deepwater Horizon oil rig to explode on April 20 off Louisiana’s coast and use this information to “enhance our safety and environmental oversight.”

To date, there is no offshore drilling in Canada’s Arctic but BP, which owns the Gulf of Mexico well, and Imperial Oil have jointly paid $1.785 billion for the rights to develop several leases in the ecologically-sensitive Beaufort Sea by 2016. Seismic exploration by these companies is underway and exploratory drilling seems imminent.

WWF and, more recently, the media, have pointed to stronger regulatory safeguards in the U.S. which still failed to prevent the toxic spill disaster. Canadian media outlets have also pointed out that there is little effort to harmonize oil and gas management across Arctic waters, even though the Arctic Council produced guidelines for this purpose in 2009.

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For further information:

Craig Stewart, Arctic Program Director, WWF-Canada, 613-232-2501; 613-852-1316, [email protected]

Paulette Roberge, Communications Specialist, WWF-Canada, 613-232-2504, 613-302-2519, [email protected]